Introduction

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What is a mixed farm?

Integrated crop-livestock farm (ICLF), also known as polyface or mixed crop-livestock farming (MCLF), is a traditional type of commercial agricultural practice associated with the production of both crops and animals on one farm. After decades of successful commercial scale farming performance, ICLF practices are growing rapidly in the US, especially in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. A large number of ICLF farms are non-certified or in organic transition, and they contribute a significant amount of fresh produce and meat products - specifically lamb and goat meat - to the US organic food supply chain. Products from ICLFs are sold in either farmers markets, foadside stands, and/or local retail markets. The USDA promotes farmers markets across the country, and currently more than 8,000 farmers markets are now listed in the National Farmers Market Directory.

Recent reports say that products grown from ICLFs are contaminated with several bacterial pathogens at significantly higher levels than conventionally grown produce. This may be in part due to the close proximity of animal and produce operations on the same farm, which could increase the potential for cross-contamination between animal reservoirs and fresh produce. The most common bacterial pathogens involved in reported outbreaks were sigatoxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella enterica (SE). Major reservoirs for both SE and STEC are farm animals including poultry, pig, goat, and cattle where they can survive in soil, water and plants and contaminate produce.

Given the numbers of foodborne illnesses with these two pathogens, the economic impacts in the range of $1.6 billion and $190 million, respectively.